Long time between blog posts, I know. I just have nothing real exciting to share, but I figured I’d post something to prove I’m still alive. I’m spending most of my time quilting and trying to walk on the treadmill at least 3-4 times a week. Sometimes I actually do it everyday. :-) Here are some pictures of our excercise space in the basement which we finally got all setup right after Christmas.

The boxes in front of the treadmill hold my Macbook, which I sometimes use to watch a show while I walk. Not a very elegant setup, but it works. I have discovered some great new weekly dramas that I really enjoy. Homeland, which is on Showtime and Downton Abbey on PBS. Those are new new favorites — others are Fringe, The Good Wife, Grimm, Person of Interest…etc. I love drama shows. Grimm is .. well strange, but when nothing else is on, it’s something to watch. Also I like the new NBC show Smash… mostly because I love musicals.

We have a TV down here, but it’s just basic cable and I cannot watch “on demand” programs, thus the reason I use the Macbook. Though I’m also a big “news chunky” and watch a lot of HGTV. It’s just hard to time walking with the programs I prefer to watch on HGTV. I could easily walk a half an hour watching Sarah’s House, but Holmes on Homes.. no.. That would bore me to death.

Here’s the area that Tom uses more than me. OK - Truth is he is almost the only user. I can count on one hand how often I’ve used the weight machine in the last 6 months. Pitiful, I know.

Now - here’s a great space for finalizing a quilt layout. I’m thankful to have it because there is certainly no unused floorspace on the upper levels. That’s my current project - the Civil War Quilt. The blocks are done and I’m hoping to complete the sashing and borders in the next 2 weeks so I can send it off to a Long Arm Quilter. There will be 3 borders. The last border will be a stripe that I miter. That will be a first for me and I’m sure a challenge. It’s the most complicated quilt project I’ve made to date as some block layouts required piecing I had never attempted before. But it was sure fun to do it along with quilters from across the country. They are really a fun group. If interested, you can see some finished versions of this quilt on this link. Some amazing — fabulous layouts. My layout will be quite boring compare to some of these.. but I’ll just be thrilled to be done!

A couple more shots of the basement space…

We still need to clear out that corner on the right and I’d like to make some simple curtains for the windows - right now there is paper stuffed in there. It’s just to cut down on the glare.. the sun beats in one window and without privacy, it’s a bit creepy to be down there early morning when it’s still dark out. Overall, the basement has been a real gem for us. Plus it’s nice to know we have a place to retreat to during Tornado warnings. Gosh — those are sure worrisome lately.

That’s about it for updates from the Henricks home front. No plans to take the Bus out, though we have talked about it. I think we settled into “we must hibernate during Winter mode” very quickly, but we’ll come alive come Spring I’m sure. :-)

Stay tuned for another update. Probably about the time our Spring bulbs bloom. I’m sure that will give me a big energy boost since I really love to get my hands in the dirt. I’ll be eager to start planting some impatiens, petunias and fill up the flower pots.